MovieChat Forums > Fort Apache (1948) Discussion > Emily Collingwood

Emily Collingwood

posted 17 years ago by horace-mcconnell
4 replies | jump to latest

I've always found this character to be very interesting.

While Mrs. O'Rourke seems to be mother figure of Fort Apache, Mrs. Collingwood seems to be the grand lady. When the doctor comes to the dinner, he arrives as if he is courting her. During the song, Ford photographs her in a two shot with John Wayne not her husband. When the enlisted men are allowed to dance with the Officer's ladies she is among the first to be solicated. She is constantly attempting, in vain mostly, to build up her husband's self-image.

As the troups leave the fort, she can insure that her husband will survive by having a trouper gallop after them with his transfer orders. Yet she chooses her husband's honour over his safety. Maybe, he would have refused to return to the fort. However, she never gave him the chance.

I always wondered what happened to her after Thursday's Charge. Did she go back East? Does she blame herself for her husband's death?

I'm a Luna-tic and more importantly a JESUS-tic.

It's the Bible, you get credit for trying!

[–] conductor71-2 17 years ago

> I always wondered what happened to her after Thursday's Charge. Did she go back East? Does she blame herself for her husband's death?

She most certainly would miss him and regret for herself, but "blame"? Certainly not. She knows he died in a way that he can be proud of himself.

> While Mrs. O'Rourke seems to be mother figure of Fort Apache, Mrs. Collingwood seems to be the grand lady.

Certainly; the commanding officer's wife.

And Anna Lee was certainly among Ford's favorite actresses. I think she even had made him change his attitude towards the British people (being an Irish, he in the past hated the British).

[–] acr_uk1 16 years ago

Mrs. Collingwood introduces herself to Philadelphia as her mother's best friend. I suspect she had to look on as Owen Thursday 'rode to glory' and became a General during the Civil War (prior to peace time demotion - too many high ranking officers for the size of the army), whilst her husband made an error of judgement which some of his officer colleagues took to be cowardice, and was subsequently exiled to the frontier, away from the fighting and the glory.

She obviously believes in her husband, and there is no animosity to him from fellow officers or the men. He has evidently redeemed himself in their eyes and hers, but not necessarily his own.

'He's no coward' are the words she says as her husband is riding away. The other wives surrounding her seem aghast that there is even suggestion of it. The Collingwoods seem to be presented as a well liked and humane couple.

I think she would stay on as the matriarch of the fort, perhaps comforted by her husband's reputation being completely redeemed throughout the army, vis 'Thursday's Charge', and looking to help new army wives adjust to life on the frontier.

[–] ljspin 16 years ago

Unfortunately, I don't think Mrs. Collingwood would have stayed on at the fort. She, like the other widows of the fatal battle, were no longer army wives. Though they may have drawn a widow's pension from their husband's service, the army would not have provided them with housing, rations, etc. They would have had to fend for themselves.

Mrs. O'Rourke, however, could stay on at Fort Apache and continue in her role as "mother" of the fort. Although her husband was also killed, her son was still an officer at the fort and she was able to live with and be supported by him.

There was now a new matriarch, Philadelphia Thursday O'Rourke. Phil, as daughter of Colonel Thursday and wife of Lieutenant O'Rourke, is now the grande dame of the fort. Though young, she will grow into the role. Notice these two shots:
When the troopers were leaving the fort before the final battle, there were several wives standing on the balcony watching them ride out. However, at the end, when the troopers rode out for their scouting mission, Mrs. O'Rourke and Philadelphia were the only women shown watching them from the balcony. If Mrs. Collingwood were still at Fort Apache and still in her unofficial position, wouldn't John Ford have included her in that shot? I think part of her tragedy is that she had to choose her husband's honor over his safety, and lost, not only her husband, but also her home at the fort and in the army.

I think it's great that so much can be debated about a film over fifty years old.

Spin

[–] magolding 14 years ago

somewhat ironically, my post "Collingwood's Disaster" suggests that Collingwood shares theh blame for the disaster with Thursday, since he did become the commanding officer in time to stop the disaster but did not do so. So iif "Thursday's Charge" redeemed Collingwood's c name it could only be for the bravery that Thursday and Collingwood shared, and not for their equally bad tactical judgement.